Secure digital couriering system and method

• US 7,660,413 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DICOM Grid, Inc. (Intelerad Medical Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: DICOM Grid, Inc. (Intelerad Medical Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Partovi, Shahram, Bird, C. Roger
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr.; Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALMEIDA, DEVIN E
• Application Number:
  US11/402,152
• Publication Number:
  US 20060230072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,401 Days
• Field of Search: 380/33, 726/26
• US Class Current: 380/33
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1057 involving pre-assessment of levels of reputation of peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

A digital couriering system and method for electronically moving records and images through a central user interface with a centralized security and access mechanism is disclosed. The disclosed system and method is a network that makes it possible for records comprising personal information and other non-personal information to be delivered in seconds via the Internet, instead of days through the use of the current standard couriers, such as messenger services or regular mail. Using the disclosed system and method, vital documents not only reach their destination more quickly but also in a more cost effective manner.

Claims

1. A method for electronically couriering records, comprising:

splitting a record into personal information and non-personal information, the personal information and the non-personal information having an identifier to link the personal information to the non-personal information;

encrypting the personal information and adding an encryption key;

storing the record, including the personal information and the non-personal information, on a source node, having an electronic address;

indexing the record on a server, wherein the server includes a database that further includes fields for storing the personal information, the encryption key and the electronic address of the source node on which the record is stored;

transmitting the record from the source node to a target node, wherein the transmission of the record includes removing the personal information from the record prior to transmission of the stripped record, comprising non-personal information, from the source node;

transmitting the personal information from the server to the target node, wherein the personal information is encrypted prior to transmission to the target node; and

displaying the record on a record consumer computer, wherein the personal information is decrypted and coupled with the stripped record.

2. The method of claim 1, further including transmitting the personal information and the electronic address of the source node from the source to the server.

3. The method of claim 1, further including authorizing the record consumer computer to display the record.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein authorization includes validation by the server of an entered identification.

5. The method of claim 1, further including deleting the personal information from the record consumer computer when the record is no longer displayed on the computer.

6. The method of claim 1, further including copying the stripped record to a second record consumer.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the copying of the stripped record includes authorization to couple the stripped record with the personal information.

8. The method of claim 1, further including authenticating the source node and the target node by the server.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the coupling of the personal information and the stripped record is accomplished through association of the identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the record is in HL7 format.

11. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable code for instructing a central computer to perform the steps of:

receiving personal information and an electronic address of a source node, wherein the source node include a record comprised on personal information and non-personal information, the personal information and the non-personal information having an identifier to link the personal information to the non-personal information;

mediating the transmission of the record from the source node to a target node, wherein the transmission of the record includes removing the personal information from the record prior to transmission of the stripped record from the source node; and

transmitting the personal information to the target node, wherein the personal information is encrypted prior to transmission to the target node.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, further containing computer executable code for instructing a central computer to perform the step of authorizing a node computer to couple the personal information and the stripped record.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, further containing computer executable code for instructing a central computer to perform the step of validating a record consumer computer, wherein validation allows the record consumer computer to display the record.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein further containing computer executable code for authenticating the source computer and the node computer by the central computer.

14. A computer-readable storage medium containing computer executable code for instructing a node computer to perform the steps of:

decrypting personal information received from a central computer, wherein the personal information is encrypted when received; and

coupling the decrypted personal information with a stripped record received from a source computer, wherein the stripped record comprises non-personal information;

wherein the personal information and the stripped record are tagged with complimentary identifiers.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, further containing computer executable code for instructing a node computer to display the coupled record on a record consumer computer.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further containing computer executable code for instructing a node computer to validate the record consumer computer prior to displaying the coupled record on the record consumer computer.

17. The computer computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, further containing computer executable code for instructing a node computer to delete the personal information from the record consumer computer when the coupled record is no longer displayed.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the coupling of the personal information and the stripped record is accomplished through association of the complimentary identifiers.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the complimentary identifiers are selected from a group consisting of:

complimentary keys, complimentary watermarks, and complimentary hashes.

21. A system for electronically couriering records, comprising:

a central computer, in communication with a source node computer and a target node computer, capable of executing the steps of

receiving personal information and an electronic address of a source node computer where a record, including personal information and non-personal information, the personal information and the non-personal information having complimentary identifiers to link the personal information to the non-personal information;

receiving a request from a target node computer to receive a copy of the record;

directing the source node computer to transmit a stripped record, consisting of the non-personal information, from the source node computer to the target node computer; and

transmitting the personal information to the target node, wherein the personal information is encrypted prior to transmission to the target node.

22. The system of claim 21, further including a source node computer.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the source node computer is capable of receiving the record from a record producer.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the source node computer is capable of stripping the record of the personal information.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the source node computer is further capable of storing the stripped record.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the source node computer is capable of transmitting the personal information to the central computer.

27. The system of claim 22, wherein the source node computer is capable of transmitting its electronic address to the central computer.

28. The system of claim 22, wherein the source node computer is capable of tagging the stripped record and the personal information with complimentary identifiers.

29. The system of claim 21, further including a target node computer.

30. The system of claim 29, wherein the target node computer is capable of receiving the stripped record from the source node computer.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the target node computer is capable of receiving the encrypted personal information from the central computer.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the target node computer is capable of decrypting the personal information.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the target node computer is capable of coupling the personal information with the stripped record.

34. The system of claim 28, further including a target node computer, wherein the target node computer is capable of coupling of the personal information and the stripped record by associating the complimentary identifiers.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the complimentary identifiers are selected from a group consisting of:

complimentary keys, complimentary watermarks, and complimentary hashes.

36. The system of claim 21, wherein the central computer includes a database that further includes fields for storing the personal information and the electronic address of the source node.

37. A method for providing secure transmission of images from an image producer to an image consumer, comprising:

storing an image, including a header, comprising personal information, and a body, comprising non-personal information, on a source node, having an electronic address, the personal information and the non-personal information having complimentary identifiers to link the personal information to the non-personal information;

storing the header on a server, wherein the server includes a database that further includes fields for storing the header and the electronic address of the source node on which the image is stored;

transmitting the body from the source node to a target node, wherein the transmission of the image includes removing the header from the image prior to transmission of the body from the source node;

transmitting the header from the server to the target node, wherein the header is encrypted prior to transmission to the target node; and

displaying the image on an image consumer computer, wherein the header is decrypted and coupled with the body.

38. The method of claim 37, further including ordering generation of the image by the image consumer.

39. The method of claim 37, further including generating of the image by the image producer.

40. The method of claim 37, further including uploading the image to the source node.

41. The method of claim 37, further including transmitting the header and the electronic address to the server.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein harvesting the image further includes tagging the header and the body with complimentary identifiers.

43. The method of claim 37, wherein the body is transmitted to the image consumer computer following a request by the image consumer computer.

44. The method of claim 38, wherein the body is transmitted to the image consumer computer of the image consumer ordering the image prior to the image consumer computer requesting the transmission.

45. The method of claim 42, wherein the decrypted header and body are coupled by associating the complimentary identifiers.

46. The method of claim 37, wherein the image is in DICOM format.

47. The method of claim 37, further including copying the body and transmitting the body to a second image consumer, wherein the transmission includes authorization for the second image consumer to decrypt the header, couple the decrypted header and the body, and display the image on the second image consumer computer.